rogers



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. W. ROGERS.

ELBGTRIO CONDUCTOR 0R CABLE. 1

No. 280,518. Patented July 3, 1-883.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. W. RUGERS. ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR OR CABLE.

No. 280,518. Patented July 3, 1883.

r. Wzwhmiioll. D C

(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 3. J. W. ROGERS.

ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR 0B. CABLE.

No. 280,518. Patented July 8, 1883.

Wine; sea: [man 707.- @764 I. Q I ,By fiiioo-wey:

JAMES WEBB ROGERS,

PATENT Fries.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

I ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR OR CABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,518, dated July 8,1883.

Application filed April 26, 1883. (No model.)

' fication.

My invention relates to the construction and methods of using electriccables designed for use in connection with telegraphs, telephones,electric lights, transmission of power, or other purposes; and itsobject is primarily to improve the conductivity and the ease of con- 5struction.

In carrying out my invention I propose to use thin ribbons or strips ofsome conducting material such as copper-separated by tapes or strips ofasbestus cloth, the whole being secured together by sewing, or by bandsof any suitable construction, or by any other desired means. Inmanufacturing copper strips or wires the process of drawing or rollingimpairs the conductivity, and to restore to the metal its proper orhighest conductivity it is necessary to anneal the same; but in theprocess of annealing thin copper, ribbon is apt to become twisted anddistorted, so that it cannot be built up into a cable so readily as whenit first comes from the rolls. My invention overcomes this difficulty,since it supplies a means whereby the completed cable may be placed inthe annealing-furnace without detriment to its structure, and the ribbonof copper or other material may be annealed after instead of before thecable is made.

My invention further consists in a novel method of manufacturingelectric cables; and it consists in first applying to the conductingstrips or wires insulating coverings or separating layers of asbestus,and in subsequently placing the completed cable in an annealingfurnace,whereby the conductivity of the copper may be improvedn In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of a cableconstructed according to my invention, taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the cable taken on theline 2 2 of Fig. '1. Fig. 3 is a side view of a modified form of thecable. Fig. 4 shows a bundle of the completed cable in anannealing-furnace Fig. 5 illus trates amanner of using the cable,whereby extra or return currents may be neutralized. Fig. 6 illustratesdiagrammatically the manner in which one neutraliZing-conductor may beused in connection with several transmittingconductors. Fig. 7 shows adetail of the transmitting-key shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows a method ofusing an extra neutralizing-conductor with the form of cable in whichthe metallic conductors form the elements of a battery. Fig. 9 shows howone battery may be made to take the place of the two batteries in Fig.5.

Referring to Fig. 1, A A A, &c., indicate strips or ribbons of someconducting material, preferably copper, between which are placed ribbonsor strips of asbestus cloth, preferably slightly wider than the copperstrips, the whole being secured together by sewing or stitching with anasbestus thread or cord 0. Strips or ribbons of asbestus are placed 011the exterior, as indicated, to complete the insulation of the upper andlower copper strips, as shown.

In manufacturing my cable the copper ribbons are taken direct from therolling-mill, since in this form they can be more readily manipulatedand the cable more easily built, and after the cable has been built itis placed in suitable lengths in an annealing-furnace, D,

Fig. 4, of any suitable kind, where the copper of the cable is subjectedto the ordinary annealing process, whereby its conductivity is improved.In this process 'the cable suffers no injury, its insulating materialbeing insensible to the action of the heat employed. After the annealingprocess is completed the cable is boiled in some repellent of water,such as oil, kerosene, orbeeswax; or several repellents are mixed andthe cable boiled in the mixture. It is then ready for use. structed, maybe laid in trenches or boxes, or in other places where it will not besubjected to great tensile strain, and is ordinarily of sufficientstrength for such purposes. It is, however, desirable to increase itstensile strength so far as possible, for which purpose I propose tosubstitute for one of, the copper or other conductorsaribbon A of steeliron or other suitable material of greater tensile strength.

The cable, as thus con-' The'cable, as thus constructed, may have anouter protecting covering of any desired kind that would adapt it foruse beneath the ocean or for crossing rivers.

Instead of the stitching or sewing of the strips together by an asbestusthread, the alternate conducting and non-conducting ribbons may, afterbeing laid up, be bound together by wires, cords, or other suitablebindings, as indicated at (D 0 Fig. 3. If, however, the cable is to besubjected to the annealing process after it has been constructed, thebinding 0" must be of metal, asbestus, or other suitable material thatwill not be damaged by the heat.

If my cablebeused for submarine telegraphs, or if it contain amultiplicity of conductors, each employed, for the transmission of aseparate message, it is quite necessary that the damaging andundesirable effects of what is known as the "returircurrent whichfollows the removal of the transmittingbattery should be avoided. Toeffect this result I make use of one of the conducting strips A, or ofthe strengthening wire or tape A, in connection with a suitable batteryand transmitting apparatus, whereby, upon the breaking or removal of thebattery which serves to transmit signals through a conductor A, the sameor another battery may be simultaneously connected with its oppositepole to the extra conductor A It is well known that when an electriccurrent or pulsation passes in one of two parallel conductors it inducesat the mo ment of passage a current in the opposite direction in theother conductor. It is this induced current which, acting in the main ortransmitting conductor in an opposite direction to the return-current,serves in my invention to neutralize such return-current. One of theforms of transmitting apparatus that may be employed for this purpose isshown in Fig. 5, where I have indicated a section of my improved cablecontaining a single. trans mitting-conductor A and a single neutralizingor strengthening conductor A, said eonductor A being connected to earththrough a galvanometer, G, or other suitable receivinginstrument. At thetransmitting end of the line are placed two batteries, M M and atransmittingkey, K, of ordinary construction, whose pivots are connectedto the conductor A, while its front contact-stop is connected by wire 3with the positive pole of both batteries M M". The back contact-stop oranvil of the key is connected to earth. The negative pole of battery Mis connected to earth, while the negative pole of battery M'" isconnected to the neutralizing-conduetor A as shown, and also to acontact-stop, a, with which an insulated spring, 0, mounted upon thekey-lever, makes contact when the key is depressed. Said spring isconnected by wire 5 with the earth, and when the key is at rest makescontact with an insulated contact-stop, I), connected by wire 6 with thepositive pole of battery M. lVhen the key K is depressed for the purposeof sending the signal over condnetorA, the currents from both batteriesM M? pass to line through the front contact-stop of the lever. Thenegative pole of M is at this time connected to earth through thecontact a and spring 0. WVhen the key is returned to its normal positionand makes eon tact with its back stop, a return-current will flow fromthe line in the direction of the arrow 71 both batteries beingsimultaneously disconnected from said line, At the same time, however,the contactspring 0 makes contact with step b, thus connecting theposith'e pole of M to earth, while the negative pole of said battery isconnected to wire A through conductor 7, so as to cause an impulse onsaid line in the direction of arrow 7:, the effect of which is to inducein conductor A a current in the direction of arrow 1, or counter to thereturncurrent, thus neutralizing the latter.

Fig. 6 shows two transmitting-conductors and one neutralizing-conductorA placed be tween them. At the transmitting end of the line, M Mindicate two main batteries, each controlled by a transmitting-key, K,in the 01:

dinary way, while M indicates the neutralizing-battery, which serves toneutralize the re turn-current on either conductor. In this case batteryM does not assist in the transmission of the signal; but a suitablecircuit-closing device is used with each key K, whereby, when said keyis returned to its normal position, a

current from the main battery M is thrown upon line A momentarily, butwith an opposite polarity from that of batteries M 011 conductors A. Thecircuit-closing device for this purpose is so constructedas to close theconnection only upon the return movement of the key, but not upon itsmovement in putting the battery to line. The construction of this deviceis shown more clearly in Fig. 7.

The contaetspring c is provided at its lower end with a hook the end ofwhich, a, when the key is at rest, occupies the position shown in Fig.7, so that when the spring rises, owing to the operation of the key, thehook passes up on the back side of an inclined insulatingblock, on,bearing on its other side aconduet ing-plate, 1), connected by wire 10with the negative pole of battery M Spring 0 is connected with theneutralizing conductor A". \Vhen the key is fully raised the hookassumes the position shown in dotted line, Fig. 7, so that when the keyreturns to its normal. posi tion the hook passes down on the front ofthe inclined piece and makes momentary contact with the plate 1) at theinstant the return-current flows from A, thus simultaneously causing acurrent from battery M to flow in line A in proper direction toneutralize by induction the return-current from A.

' Fig. 8 illustrates the application of my invention to a submarinecable whose conductors are exposed to the-action of the water, and arerespectively electro-positive and electro-nega tive to one another. Ateach end of the line is shown a partial section of the cable C0111-posed of conducting-strips B B", one of which may be of copper and theother of zinc, separated from one another by strips of asbestus B B,between-which latter is included a strengthening-conductor, A suitablyprotected from the water. B B are connected, respectively, with the twopoles of galvanometer G, or other suitable receiving-instrument, at thedistant end of the line, and at the transmitting end with the key K, sothat when the latter is closed the currents of the battery formed by theconductors B B are short-circuited from the receiving -instrument G,thus causing a signal on the same.

In order to obviate the damaging effects of the polarization of theimmersed conductors 13 ,13, I make the transmitting-key K close thecircuit of a battery, M through the interior conductor, A which currentis of proper polarity to induce in the exterior conductors a currentthat will dissipate or neutralize the polarization of the battery formedby said conductors. This may be accomplished by caus ing the key K toclose momentarily the circuit of M on the backstroke of the key througha conducting-spring, c, which is connected to earth, as shown, andoperates in conjunction with a block, M, constructed in the manneralready described in connection with Fig. 7. Instead of using an extraneutralizing-battery, I may, by a suitable commutator or pole-changer,make use of the transmitting-battery for neutralizing purposes. Such anarrangement is shown in Fig. 9, where K indicates the trans mitting-key,whose back contact is connected with neutralizing-conductor A The key Koperates with pole-changing springs of wellknown construction (indicatedat S) to place the battery M to line A with one polarity when the key isdepressed, and to neutralizing-conductor A with an opposite polaritywhen the key returns to its normal position. When the key is depressed,the circuit is from earth through contact stop 14, spring 13, battery M,spring 12, key-lever K, and to conductor A. The current of the batteryis then removed from conductor A lVhen the key returns to its nornalposition, the current is from earth through contact-stop 14, spring 12,battery M,

spring 13, key-lever K, and line A so that the battery is placed to lineA with an opposite polarity from that which it had when placed to lineA, and the return-current from A is neutralized in the manner alreadyeX- plained. Other circuit-closing devices may be used in place of thoseshown for closing the circuit of a battery of other generator ofelectricity to the neutralizing-conductor at the proper time. I do notin any wise limit myself in this respect.

Other conducting materials may be used for the strips or ribbons A, andthe neutralizingconductor A might be of copper, as well as of a materialthat has greater tensile strength than copper. I am aware that cablesmade of strips of a suitable conductor and of strengthening strips orribbons of iron or steel are not new, and I therefore make no broadclaim to such a cable. I have herein described the strengthening-ribbonsas separated from the conductors A; but it would be within myinventionto attach such strengthening-ribbon directly to a conductor by solderingor otherwise.

I am aware that asbestus has been braided or otherwise applied to form asheath for telegraph-wires; but in no instance o'f'which I am aware havestrips or ribbons of copper been laid up with alternating asbestusribbons to form a complete cable having many conductors. In my method ofmaking a cable the asbestus may be used in the form of ribbons woven onseparate machines, and the work of makingthe cable consists only inlaying up the ribbons or sheets of asbestus and copper as they come fromseparate machines, the number being multiplied according to therequirements. A cable as thus constructed can be made very cheaply andis exceedingly durable.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A telegraph-cable composed ofalternate strips or ribbons of copper or other good conducting materialand asbestus, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An insulated electric conductor consisting of a cable composed of oneor more strips or ribbons of copper or other good conducting material,one or more strips or ribbons of a material having greater tensilestrength, and interposed insulating ribbons or strips of asbestus,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. An electric cable composed of alternate strips or ribbons of copperand asbestus, the

strips of said latter material being wider than v those of copper.

4. The hereindescribed improvement in manufacturing cables composed ofconducting strips or ribbons and interposed insulatingribbons, whichconsists in taking the conduct ing-strip as it comes from the rolls,building the cable complete with asbestus as an insulating medium, andsubsequently placing the completed cable in an annealingfiirnace for thepurpose of improving the conductivity of .the conducting-strips.

5. The herein-described improvement in the method of manufacturingcompound cables containing one or more conducting strips or ribbons,consisting in building up the cable with strips of asbestus as theinsulating medium, and in subsequently placing the completed cable in anannealing-furnace and afterward applying to said cable any suitablerepellent of moisture.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 23d day of April, A. D. 1883.

JAMES XVEBB ROGERS.

WVitnesses:

' THos. TOOMEY,

\VM. H. BLAIN.

